Double Alchemy Climax (Double Alchemy #2) by Susan MacNicol

Powerful modern warlock Quinn Fairmont found ecstasy with the silver-eyed and not-quite-human Cade Mairston, but to know true happiness the pair must best both the shadow of a long-ago lover and an ancient enemy who seeks to destroy love, light and all they hold dear.

A BLINDING LIGHT

It begins with a Book of Shadows discovered by a London coven. The grimoire is as dangerous as it is rare, which is why it evokes modern-day warlock Quinn Fairmont’s desire. He collects objects of great power and beauty—like his lover, Cade Mairston.

Against all odds he and Cade found each other, but their perils have just begun. First is the ex-lover who once held Quinn in thrall. And, someone has been killing warlocks. Could it be one of his own kind? There are those too who would challenge Quinn’s power in their quest to overthrow him as Grand Master. Or is the danger something darker, something invoked inadvertently, rising from the shadows, building from the very inside of a man until it brings an end with a quick flash of light? Of the truth, the surface has only been scratched. Now Quinn and Cade must go deeper and find both answers and an end. They must learn what lurks in the hearts of men…and whether it seeks to love or destroy.

Double Alchemy – Climax by Susan MacNicol

Praise for Double Alchemy (Book #1)

“I love Paranormal stories & I’m a huge fan of Susan Mac Nicol’s M/M books. In this book, she brings both genres together & gives us this amazing story. With her master storytelling, she takes us into the mystical & magical world of Witches, Warlocks, Withinners & Feys. A world where danger lurks in the shadows.” – Maria Recchia

“I stayed up all night reading this story. Susan has a way of writing that is different than anyone else. She’s uniquely brilliant at weaving a tale that brings out my emotions. I have laughed in every one of her stories. That’s incredible for me. Not just a smile, but a laugh. I love that. This book needs to be read. You won’t be disappointed.” - Author Kindle Alexander

“Susan Mac Nicol has created a complex and fully realized fantasy world…. Quinn is the star of this novel, taking out the bad guy and learning how to trust in Cade’s love enough to share his unsavory past.” Library Journal

“I completely loved this beautifully and highly detailed written Paranormal story! This wasn’t a predictable story by any means. How Susan Mac Nicol takes us on a ride through this very creative and engrossing world that you will not forget, anytime soon and will be wanting more and more of it. I am a huge fan of this author and Double Alchemy, doesn’t disappoint by any means at all. I highly recommend this hot, steamy, love, paranormal and so beautifully written story!” Paul Berry

“Susan Mac Nicol brings us another sexilicious m/m romance but also takes us into a magyckal world of Warlocks, Withinners, Fae, Witchfinders and Witches… I loved the combination of the magyck and the m/m romance storyline. I am so glad Ms Mac Nicol is not keeping us waiting as the second book in the series will be released 22nd May 2014. I highly recommended this book to read and is an absolute five star rating from me.” Foxylutely Book Reviews

Double Alchemy Climax (Double Alchemy #2) Excerpt

Quinn’s eyes flashed violently at his uncle. “I am not fucking losing him to the depths of a bloody Hampstead Heath pond.”

He knelt down beside Cade again, closing his eyes as he tried once more to heal, but the wound just kept seeping blood, now at a much slower rate than before. Cade’s face was ash white, his dark hair standing out starkly against the deathly pallor of his face.

Quinn. Your Cade is nearly gone. You have to put him in the water now before it is too late. There is no time for your modern medicine. He will not survive unless you do it now. The Water Sprites will take him and heal him as long as there is still a spark of life left in him.

“I can’t. Don’t ask me to do that. I can’t.” Quinn’s voice was strangled as he struggled to compose himself. His body was cold, his mind sluggish and he had never felt so desperate.

Daniel strode forward and despite his small and wiry frame, he picked Cade up in his arms. He looked at Quinn, his voice resolute. “He’s dying. This may be the only way to save him.”

Quinn growled and reached out with a hand to hold him back. Daniel sidestepped him and looked at him with a resolute expression. “You can hurt me if you want but it won’t help Cade. This is all we have left to try before he dies.”

Quinn’s hand still gripped him tightly and the older man winced.

“If anyone is going to do this, it’s going to be me.” Quinn’s voice cracked and he held out his arms. Wordlessly, Daniel placed Cade in Quinn’s outstretched arms and Quinn pulled his lover closer to his body. He walked down to the water’s edge and waded in as Daniel watched helplessly from the bank, his face stark. Quinn gently laid Cade down in the water. He seemed to float for a while, hair spreading about in the water like black smoke. His face was still, eyes closed as Quinn held tightly onto his cold hand, rubbing his thumb over the engagement ring. Quinn’s vision blurred as tears filled his eyes.

You need to let Cade go. Let him join his kind below the water. Trust me.

Taliesin’s voice was soft, compassionate. Quinn heaved a shuddering sigh as Daniel joined him in the water, laying a comforting arm on his.

“I can’t—” Quinn shook his head in grief, his heart breaking.

His uncle took hold of his shoulders, firmly holding him back. “There’s no other way, son. Let him go.”

Quinn relinquished his grip on Cade’s hand, standing there as he heard a soft splash and saw the water rippling around them. As they watched, two sets of pale hands emerged out of the water, and slowly, lovingly, Cade was dragged gently beneath the dark waters of the pond. Quinn saw the hand with his ring on it slowly disappear under the water. It was the last glimpse he had of the man he loved.

Review: 5 out of 5 Stars

It’s once again no surprise I love Susan’s writing, and now with this series, I am thoroughly impressed.

Double Alchemy (Book #1) and Double Alchemy Climax (Book #2) are MacNicol’s foray into M/M paranormal romance and they’re both winners. As always, Susan weaves a rich world riddled with complex characters, sizzle both “off-screen” and on, and now magic enters the mix. While paranormal isn’t always my “thing”, it can be, in the right hands. MacNicol’s style sutures you in easily. It’s no small accomplishment to write a paranormal which does not weigh the reader down. Entering a new world of witches and warlocks, faes and goodness knows what else, often sounds like a lot of work to me in my reading. Thankfully, both books are masterfully written to alleviate the stress for lazy readers like me. Not that these books are spoon-feeding, but that the writing is so wonderfully adroit.

For those who haven’t availed themselves of Double Alchemy (Book #1), you will find you needn’t have read it to enjoy this book, but it may help because there is a lot going on. My guess is that MacNicol is such a fine writer, and clearly is blessed with an excellent editor, that reading Climax first is doable. It’s hard for me to judge if this is a standalone as I’ve read them both within a short period of time. But I assure you, you will want to not only go back to read Double Alchemy (Book #1), but then you’ll return to Double Alchemy Climax (Book #2) and enjoy it all the more.

As with any of MacNicol’s romances, there is wonderful tension, both sexual and otherwise. We find Quinn and Cade together, (sorry, if you’re in the middle of Book 1, now you know) and in a relationship riddled with sexy good stuff (some of it deliciously built-up to leave us hanging…. let’s use our imaginations ooo la la! nice bold move, Susan! and well-played!), and the trials and tribulations one may guess could occur for a romance surrounding a powerful Warlock. Love. I love how Cade and Quinn love.

I think no Susan MacNicol book is complete without its sorrows and anguish. But as a compensation for ups and downs, the writing is superb, the story moves (you may want to re-read here and there), and the love is always so real. It’s sexy. Difficult. Stressed. But it’s a romance after all.

Personally, I hate to think this really is the last book in this short series. Surely a trilogy, Susan? Other places to go and people to see? Spin-off, perhaps? Thanks. I’ll be waiting.

About Susan MacNicol

Susan Mac Nicol was born in Leeds, UK, and left for South Africa when she was eight. She returned to the UK thirty years later and now lives in Essex. Her debut novel Cassandra by Starlight, the first in a trilogy, was published last year by Boroughs Publishing Group in the US. Sue’s latest story, Double Alchemy: Climax is her sixth m/m romance.

Sue has written since she was very young, and never thought she would see herself becoming a Romance writer, being a horror/psychological thriller reader all her life. But the Romance genre is now something very close to her heart and she intends continuing the trend.

Sue is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Romantic Novelists Association here in the UK.